"I'm thinkin' stew'd be good, somethin' easy ta carry," Addy commented, "an' no fussin' over who gets what." As she opened the door to the cafe, she glanced down at Weedy. "We'll let you pick th' pie."
"Yes, stew would be fine. Simple, and fast. But really good!" Leah replied, smiling all the while.
"Yes, ma'am!" Weedy's grin widened. "What kind of pie do you like, Miss Leah?"
"Well I should be honest about that Weedy, it really depends on what Clara has to offer us, then we will, or we won't have a choice to make. But now, if she only has the one, well then, that's my favorite." She replied, "But my all-time favorite pie? Why, freshly baked apple pie, right off of the tree! And yours?"
Clara had a washcloth in one hand, having just cleared a table and washed it clean of crumbs, when she turned to see who had entered the place this time. I mean she knew the vast majority of her customers this being a small town. Sure enough it was Addy and her son, the boy was a good friend of her brother, Wyatt. And then..........yes, that was Leah Steelgrave. Clara despised the Steelgraves and in fact the Evergreen ranch hands were included too. Truth be told Clara could easily compile a long list of folk she didn't much like. But Miss Steelgrave was responsible for the town going to be housing a hospital so that took her off the list.
"Oh good day, ladies, Weedy, would this table work for you?" she greeted them.
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"But my all-time favorite pie? Why, freshly baked apple pie, right off of the tree! And yours?"
"I like apple, too!" Weedy beamed up at Leah, enjoying the attention with the pretty lady. Leah was so different than Miss Addy, elegant and smart! Well, Addy was smart, just in different ways. "And peach...cherry...pecan..." He laughed. "Any kind of pie! And cake, too!" A boy couldn't be too picky!
"Ya forgot cookies an' ice cream!" Addy laughed, then nodded as Clara approached them.
"Oh good day, ladies, Weedy, would this table work for you?" she greeted them.
"Evenin', Miss Clara." Addy liked the young woman, she was a bit on the serious side, but responsible and a good cook, too! Miss Emeline had left the cafe in good hands! "We're not eatin' here, just gettin' somethin' ta take back t' th' doctor's, so he an' Miss Alice can have somethin'...well, us, too. Me an' Weedy are stayin' th' night, just 'till we know Marshal Guyer's safe. He's doin' all right, fer now. We were thinkin' stew an' biscuits? Oh, an' pie." She glanced down at Weedy.
"Apple!" the boy piped up, "Or whatever kind you have."
"Oh, I know what you meant, Jonah, that somehow we could get around the talk. Well, that's exactly what I intend to do!" She stated, firmly. "I suppose though that this will take a day or so, maybe more for the parson, Pastor Evans, to be available for a quick service to marry us. In the meantime, I can find a place to spend the nights until we're wed. If we had a Justice of the Peace that would solve everything. Maybe Matt Wentworth might consider appointing one."
"I'm sure it will work out for you." Jonah shrugged. "Maybe, with luck, the Wigfalls might have two rooms. That way, you are in the same building, but not sharing a room, and if you have Granny...er...Miss Miggins to vouch for you, there will be no doubt to your fidelity!"
Granny most certainly wouldn't tolerated any hanky-panky in her establishment, so those wagging tongues would have little to wag about.
"And, of course, it would be best that the groom is awake for the ceremony!"
"But my all-time favorite pie? Why, freshly baked apple pie, right off of the tree! And yours?"
"I like apple, too!" Weedy beamed up at Leah, enjoying the attention with the pretty lady. Leah was so different than Miss Addy, elegant and smart! Well, Addy was smart, just in different ways. "And peach...cherry...pecan..." He laughed. "Any kind of pie! And cake, too!" A boy couldn't be too picky!
"Now I'd take any of those, and Cakes are good too. But you mention peach, well you can add a good peach cobbler to my favorites." Leah said with a nodd and a smile.
"Ya forgot cookies an' ice cream!" Addy laughed, then nodded as Clara approached them.
"He sure did, Cookies and ice cream, really good!" Leah added.
"Oh good day, ladies, Weedy, would this table work for you?" she greeted them.
"Evenin', Miss Clara." Addy liked the young woman, she was a bit on the serious side, but responsible and a good cook, too! Miss Emeline had left the cafe in good hands! "We're not eatin' here, just gettin' somethin' ta take back t' th' doctor's, so he an' Miss Alice can have somethin'...well, us, too. Me an' Weedy are stayin' th' night, just 'till we know Marshal Guyer's safe. He's doin' all right, fer now. We were thinkin' stew an' biscuits? Oh, an' pie." She glanced down at Weedy.
"Apple!" the boy piped up, "Or whatever kind you have."
"Misses Lutz,Clara, so good to see you again, though it has been quite a while." Leah returned the greeting. "Would you happen to have any broth, doubtful Doctor Danforth would want him on any solid food just yet. Just in case."
"I'm sure it will work out for you." Jonah shrugged. "Maybe, with luck, the Wigfalls might have two rooms. That way, you are in the same building, but not sharing a room, and if you have Granny...er...Miss Miggins to vouch for you, there will be no doubt to your fidelity!"
Granny most certainly wouldn't tolerated any hanky-panky in her establishment, so those wagging tongues would have little to wag about.
"That would be expected in that house, from what I've heard." Alice replied, then added. "Two rooms would be just fine. Exactly what we would want in fact." She snickered.
"And, of course, it would be best that the groom is awake for the ceremony!"
Perhaps it was the stress of the situation, but Alice broke out laughing. It took a moment but she managed to get herself under control. "I'm sorry Jonah, honestly I don't know what brought that on, or where it came from. Your mention of Ganny Miggins, whom I have heard endless tales about from Speed, just struck me funny I guess." And she was chuckling again.
"I'm sorry Jonah, honestly I don't know what brought that on, or where it came from. Your mention of Ganny Miggins, whom I have heard endless tales about from Speed, just struck me funny I guess." And she was chuckling again.
Jonah chuckled along with her, finding her laugh refreshing after all the tension of the afternoon. Speed was a lucky man!
"Well, I have heard it said that Granny has a way of bringing up people's emotions, but mostly irritation! Who knows, she might even be able to preform your ceremony...after all, she's one of the original pioneers...or was that pilgrims?" No, it wasn't nice to have fun at someone else's expense, but it was helping to let off steam...and this was Granny Miggins they were talking about!
Alice felt much better after the laughter, a weight of tension, and the unknown, now somewhat more apparent concerning Speed's wounds. It was a relief to know he would live. But what was to follow would be where and how they would manage a place to stay, and how to resolve the marriage issue confronting them. A couple just did not live together out of wedlock in this time period. Some might, but not unless they could afford to be ostracised by their community. That simply would not do for the Town Marshal.
"This was such a blow. I mean, how do you prepare for something like this? I know that it is all a part of the job, the risk he takes every day, but to be waylayed in broad daylight, and so far as I know, there's no one looking for the assassin, well, attempted murder." Then she sighed, "And having to worry about what folks might say on top of it for tending to him?" She hesitated, "We will make it work, somehow!"
"Evenin', Miss Clara. We're not eatin' here, just gettin' somethin' ta take back t' th' doctor's, so he an' Miss Alice can have somethin'...well, us, too. Me an' Weedy are stayin' th' night, just 'till we know Marshal Guyer's safe. He's doin' all right, fer now. We were thinkin' stew an' biscuits? Oh, an' pie." She glanced down at Weedy.
"Oh, yes, that was terrible about the Marshal. I'm glad to hear it though," Clara frowned, "I've got all that."
"Apple!" the boy piped up, "Or whatever kind you have."
"I have apple and a few slices left of cherry pie too," Clara replied to the lad.
"Misses Lutz,Clara, so good to see you again, though it has been quite a while." Leah returned the greeting. "Would you happen to have any broth, doubtful Doctor Danforth would want him on any solid food just yet. Just in case."
"Not broth per se but I can siphon most of the solids from the stew and that would make a most tasty broth I believe. And since it's for the marshal, it will be on the house. Least I can do for the man," Clara declared.
She liked the marshal, always had, his deputy Charlie - not so much!
"This was such a blow. I mean, how do you prepare for something like this? I know that it is all a part of the job, the risk he takes every day, but to be waylayed in broad daylight, and so far as I know, there's no one looking for the assassin, well, attempted murder." Then she sighed, "And having to worry about what folks might say on top of it for tending to him?" She hesitated, "We will make it work, somehow!"
"Of course such things catch you by surprise, but so much can...a heart or brain attack, a fall from a horse, a wild animal attack..." Jonah frowned and shook his head...no need to be so morose. "My point being, anything can happen any time to anyone. Granted, a lawman puts himself at greater risk."
Then he realized that Alice hadn't been there, hadn't seen what had happened after. "That deputy...Miss McCrory, was there, Quentin Cantrell, some other men...they are no doubt responsible for Speed's survival...I'm certain their presence prevented further attack, and they kept him from bleeding more than he did."
The outcome would certainly have been different had Speed been alone. "And they were after the man before we even brought Speed here, so not to worry, he is being hunted."